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Rating: 
Summary: Complete, but not
Review: I support any effort of XTC and was happy to see this come out tied somewhat to the Apple Venus cd. Encouraged to see the band participated in the interviews rather than lame 3rd hand accounts. But I was looking for so much more detail--how they write, how the tracks really came together. Many people credit XTC with laying the production style into place that others copied and influenced generations of later bands and I really wanted to see that addressed--it didn't. The departure of Terry Chambers was handled as a non-event and he seemed to be one of postpunks most important drummers and a hugely important part of the Black Sea and English Settlement sound--he left and the sound changed (not in a bad way) why didn't this get discussed? Very little insight from Dave G. on how the complex guitar tracks are built. The elements besides lyrics seemed ignored; I understand somewhat. Some people do come to XTC for more than their genius wordplay though.
Rating: 
Summary: He Remembers His Time in the Navy
Review: I'm the first to admit that I'm addicted to XTC. I subscribe to Chalkhills, the XTC-fan Internet mailing list, as well as to The Little Express, the printed newsletter for fans. I have all of the band's albums, on vinyl and CD, as well as a sizable and still-growing collection of demos and other rarities. I traveled to Scotland and England several summers ago, and designed an itinerary that forced my companions (my wife and her parents) to stay at least one night in Swindon, just so I could say I'd been there. And when I found out I might get the chance to meet Andy Partridge, I found a way to leverage what connections I have as a writer into an interview with The Man himself (check out the November issue of Modern Drummer magazine to see the results, or go to the interviews section of Chalkhills to see an expanded version of the interview).I bought and read the XTC biography Chalkhills and Children as soon as it came out, so when I heard Song Stories was available for pre-order on Amazon, I signed up and anxiously waited for the book to arrive. When it did, I surprised myself. Remember how, before he wins entrance to Willie Wonka's chocolate factory, Charlie Bucket stretches out his enjoyment of the one candy bar he receives each year, breaking a tiny morsel off each day and savoring each delicious melting moment to its fullest? Well, XTC's music reminds me of Roald Dahl's writing -- witty and wicked, full of fancy and down-to-earth -- and with that in mind, I decided I wouldn't devour Song Stories in one sitting. Instead, I patiently waited for each weekday morning and evening, and read the book on the train as I rode to and from work. By breaking off tiny morsels of XTC and savoring them in this way, I found I enjoyed the book much more than I would have otherwise (though I have little doubt that I would have still enjoyed it had I been a glutton and read it all at once).The write-up covering each song is short -- ranging anywhere from a half to a full page -- but because the book covers almost every song from the 21-year history of the world's greatest pop band, there's a lot of information to digest. I didn't just read about each song and move on to the next; rather, I read about each song and let it melt slowly in my mouth, considering the many contexts in which I'd encountered it -- What about the music? I'd cue up the song in my head and remember listening to it or playing along at various times. And Andy's brilliant lyrics? His comments in the book give additional meaning to (or confirm) what I had thought about them. What was going on in the world at the time? What was going on in _my_ world at the time? It's easy to see how each description, however brief, brought on for me the kind of introspection and interpretation that all great art evokes. Of course, the song stories also succeed on their own, not just as catalysts for an internal dialogue. Andy and Colin's funny, smart and playful dialogue gives the reader real insight into the songs and their authors' long-standing friendship; Dave's critical commentary provides a grumpy foil to the buoyancy of the other two (appropriate, given his imminent departure from the band); and Neville Farmer's knack for mixing the profound and the profane pulls it all together. He obviously has a rapport with the boys, backed by an extensive knowledge of their catalog and capabilities, and does a fine job of condensing what were obviously long conversations into succinct summaries of each song and album. If anything, that's my only gripe with the book -- in my opinion, the funniest and most evocative parts of the book are the album-overview sections, which precede each album's song-by-song breakdown and are presented in an interview-transcript, give-and-take style. I'd love to see this treatment extended to the discussion of each song and be able to read the direct quotes about each song and its development. As a rabid fan, I'd also have liked it if they'd been able to really delve into the musical and technical minutiae of each song. However, due to the space constraints of the printed page (and, I'm sure, the cost constraints imposed by publishers), Farmer is forced to limit the amount of ink devoted to each song, and does as good a job of it as anyone could. That said, I'm not really done with Song Stories, nor do I expect to be any time soon. Oh, I've finished reading it, but this is the kind of book that you never really put down -- you put it next to your music collection to grab for easy reference when you have the time and inclination. Nice job, Neville, on a very welcome addition to my library and to my XTC collection -- a collection that I hope continues to grow well into the future.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: Long-suffering and impatient XTC devotees who've been waiting for the follow-up album to 1992's "Nonsuch" can while away the remaining months with this well-written book by Neville Farmer. Just about every song is covered, in one way or another, and discussed with insight. A couple of curiousities, though: . The interview sections seem almost composite at time, as though the three members' comments were recorded and then played back to them individually so that each fellow could comment on the other fellow's comment. It is a bit misleading at times, and one wishes that all three gents were interviewed either separately or at once to smooth out some of the odd shifts. This is not a big problem, but more of a dome-scratcher. Second, there are some noticeable repetitions in some of the chapters. The summaries, which begin each chapter, often contain information and quotations that appear only a few paragraphs into each chapter proper. Again, this is not so much a bad thing as it is an overlooked editing gaffe. Chris Twomey's "Chalkhills and Children" has all the biographical info, at least up to "Nonsuch," and Farmer's book wisely avoids rehashing too many of the salad days of the group, instead concentrating almost exclusively on the albums, songs, and productions. Now all we fans need is a book that documents the band's recording sessions a la Mark Lewisohn's exhaustive but brilliant account of the Beatles recording career in "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions."
Rating:
Summary: More story than song: the magic and misery of band life
Review: Neville Farmer's text is eminently readable and quietly witty. In works of this type, that is, written by a friend of the band, there is often a tendency, however muted, for the author to perhaps insinuate a certain "fifth-Beatle" claim and write themselves up with their subject, but this effect is generally absent here. Instead the Farmer voice arises only to set out some back-story and prompt the band once in a while: for the most part we get fairly undiluted XTC with many of the tics, slight repetitions and fumblings one would normally encounter in conversation (Colin's persistent recollections of having one forceful producer or another "cook a pretty good groove out of us", for example). As might be expected Andy Partridge's voice rings loudest - revealing in itself - and is spiced with the kind of inventive wordplay and well-timed delivery of comic anecdotes fans have come to expect after years of interviews, but bandmates Colin Mouding and Dave Gregory (or Ken B-Side and Squinty Two Strats as they have been termed respectively, if not respectfully) both manage to sneak a healthy quota of insight and bruisingly blunt comment in edgeways. Of course this is largely a fan's book and it doesn't try to hide the fact, instead glorying in the kind of trivia that will delight. Though the sensitive should be aware that there are details of a chord-change on page 25, scholarly musical deconstruction is pretty much absent - even from Dave, the "proper" musician - and the book successfully tackles the general dynamics around the song - the mood of the band, the intention of the lyric, the texture of the music - without ever getting beyond very basic and brief indications of studio technique. What strikes the reader most is the sheer invention the band bring to hand when making their music, from the makeshift language the non-musician elements employ to communicate musical ideas (Ernying, Bjorn Borg and Peasoup, for example), to the amalgamation of a dozen disparate musical styles into something unique and knife-edge dizzying/abhorrent, depending on whether their music peels your banana or not. I recommend the book to fans (and those who know fans, but who have always been puzzled as ducks in a maze by the allegiance) with only one tiny caveat.. By its nature the book is episodic and piecemeal. It's not, nor is it intended to be, a sustained narrative covering minutiae of the band's career. While the notes accompanying each song include snippets of biographical detail which are of intrinsic interest to the fan, to get the very best from this book is to have the music blasting away while you absorb the text. But then, you knew that already didn't you?
Rating:
Summary: A long-awaited bite for starving fans.
Review: One has no choice but to roll out the five-star carpet to Mr. Farmer's book if but for only one reason: If you have taken the time to read this book you are an insufferable XTC fan, and the information contained therein has a value that is immeasurable. Conversely, anyone who doesn't give a toss about the Wiltshire four..erm..three...uh..two probably won't make it past page three. Each of XTC's albums gets a chapter of its own which takes the tidy form of Mr. Farmer's prose, followed by an often times side-splittingly funny, yet revealing interview, and then a song-by-song disection of the tracks. It's a good formula and rather than taking the form of, " this song is about a man who blah, blah, blah," delves into the emotion and inspiration behind the work. Answering many fan's questions without destroying their individual interpretations - the hallmark of good music journalism. All of this is the meat sandwiched between the bread of the well thought-out and allegorical introduction and epilogue. All of the elements are there. Andy's dry, eccentric wit. Colin's dry, eccentric wit and of course Dave, who when not exercising his dry, eccentric wit, proves himself to be one of the easiest men to work with in pop music. As we suspected all along, they are quintessentially and hopelessly English. The book exposes the"kid in the candy store" exhuberance these fellows have towards time spent creating music, their absolute love of melody, instruments, and a good hook. Pair this with their complete honesty and one can see why the music business has continuously let them down. They are simply too idealistic for the evil machine. Please refer to Jimmy Stewart's character in the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" for more on this subject. But fans wouldn't have it any other way. Many of us have watched over the years as legions of our music heros have become less part of the solution and more part of the problem. XTC has insisted on doing things as close to their own terms as the industry would let them. They have suffered from the ramifications of their bull-headedness and the heartbreak and disappointment that has ensued has inspired even more great music. It's a beautifully cyclical process which I'm sure Andy can appreciate. What can a Mick Jagger tell us about real emotion and longing? The guy has been a multi-millionaire since the early Seventies. Neville Farmer shows there is an approachable middle-class dignity in the work of XTC. The nuances and sometimes flaws imbedded in the work of the blacksmith being preferable to the uniform, sterile product of the factory. Personally, I feel Chris Twomey's "Chalkhills and Children" is a better written book. It's a beautiful history of a legendary and misunderstood band. What makes Neville Farmer's book more precious is that rather than being written about XTC, it is written with XTC. It's made possible only by the fact that he is a personal friend of the band and it gives the overall comfort of a drawing room chat as opposed to a study hall lecture. The final chapter sees Dave Gregory's departure from the band after two decades of putting the musical icing on Andy and Colin's well-confected compositional cakes. His inimitable style will be sorely missed and one gets the feeling XTC are about to enter a third phase. It is strange that Neville Farmer's final chapter of the book coincides with Dave Gregory's final chapter in the band's history, giving it an odd sense of closure not often found in non-fiction. Most importantly, it gives us fans something to do while we wait for the new record to be released. Knuckle down boys, it's going to be a long two months.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book only scratches the surface of xtc
Review: Since reading a review of this in Q magazine, I had been eagerly anticipating this book on XTC. I have to admit I was a little disappointed. While the book doesn't pretend to be comphrensive, it lacks an sort of objectivity and analysis from Farmer. Altogether, it isn't a bad place to learn about the band if your a neophyte, but, for those of us who have been faithful for many years, it could have used a little bit more insight on the part of the author and the artists.
Rating:
Summary: "Pastoral Punks", corporate showdowns & rubber sharks
Review: There's nothing lurid or scandalous about the band XTC, or its members Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory, who unspool a 25-year and counting history together in this long-overdue "musical biography". Author Neville Farmer places interviews with his subjects into a chronological order from the band's formation at the dawn of punk, then letting them "take over" as co-authors, telling jokes, anecdotes and personal musings on the writing and recording of each and every song in their catalog. As it progresses and more is revealed of the band through its music, it's a good idea to have some of the records handy as a tour guide of sorts. And though it's not loaded with your typical "Behind The Music" style exposes of a "band who had it all and lost it all", it does have its share of backstage drama as the band is cheated by record companies and double-dealing managers, the lead singer suffers a bout with nervous exhaustion that changes the course of the band's history forever and an unprecedented artist vs. commerce showdown results in a strike where XTC refused to record ANY music for a solid decade! It's also a bittersweet farewell to longtime guitarist Dave Gregory, who split with the band after surviving all this and more over artistic differences. So, if you're already a fan of this incredibly underrated band, or you've never heard of them, but are interested in a great "David and Goliath" story (similiar to the Wilco film, "I am trying to break your heart") I could not recommend this more wholeheartedly.
Rating:
Summary: "Pastoral Punks", corporate showdowns & rubber sharks
Review: There's nothing lurid or scandalous about the band XTC, or its members Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory, who unspool a 25-year and counting history together in this long-overdue "musical biography". Author Neville Farmer places interviews with his subjects into a chronological order from the band's formation at the dawn of punk, then letting them "take over" as co-authors, telling jokes, anecdotes and personal musings on the writing and recording of each and every song in their catalog. As it progresses and more is revealed of the band through its music, it's a good idea to have some of the records handy as a tour guide of sorts. And though it's not loaded with your typical "Behind The Music" style exposes of a "band who had it all and lost it all", it does have its share of backstage drama as the band is cheated by record companies and double-dealing managers, the lead singer suffers a bout with nervous exhaustion that changes the course of the band's history forever and an unprecedented artist vs. commerce showdown results in a strike where XTC refused to record ANY music for a solid decade! It's also a bittersweet farewell to longtime guitarist Dave Gregory, who split with the band after surviving all this and more over artistic differences. So, if you're already a fan of this incredibly underrated band, or you've never heard of them, but are interested in a great "David and Goliath" story (similiar to the Wilco film, "I am trying to break your heart") I could not recommend this more wholeheartedly.
Rating: 
Summary: A must-have for the devoted fan
Review: XTC fans tend to go overboard in their devotion to the band (and I'm no exception, I suppose, believing them to be the greatest pop band of the past twenty years) and this book has just the sort of minutia these fans need: Detailed discussions of each song, the stories behind the making of each record, dialogues of the members discussing the making of the songs and so forth. But as a piece of reporting and journalism it's not nearly as good as Twomey's book; it comparison it comes off a bit amateurish. It's more a history of the albums than the band itself. Then again, a real XTC fan would probably own both.
Rating:
Summary: Complete, but not
Review: XTC has a large catalogue, and all of it is documented here pretty thoroughly;however, since it's an "authorized" biography, it of course downplays bad business moves, and almost ignores personal political interworkings, in favor of accentuating musical sophistication and "good clean fun." It has song stories, and Andy's subconscious execution of a simple refusal to tour anymore. It also has a controlled feel, which makes you want to read all the parts edited out more than the page in front of you!This is the quality that made me prefer Chalkhills and Children.
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